Game Ranch Research Articles

Interaction between Local Institutions in a Context of Centralized Governance of the Nazinga Game Ranch (NGR), Centre-south of Burkina Faso

Interaction between Local Institutions in a Context of Centralized Governance of the Nazinga Game Ranch (NGR), Centre-south of Burkina Faso

Comparative analysis of tick burden, diversity, and distribution in intensively managed wildlife estates with and without prescribed burning

The connection between ticks and zoonotic diseases in Zambia remains unclear due to limited data on tick distribution in private game reserves. This study examines tick control in three ex-situ game reserves across different agro-ecological regions, Lanagani game ranch in the Chibombo district, Chaminuka game ranch in the Lusaka district, and Choma game ranch in the Choma district. The current study evaluated the burden and diversity of ticks across three different management systems concerning the use of fire as a tick control and management tool. A descriptive cross-sectional study collected 267 ticks from 36 transects across three game ranches in Central, Lusaka, and Southern provinces. These ticks were morphologically identified using the existing taxonomic keys and Olympus DF Plapo 1×4 SN5G 08128 stereomicroscope at the University of Zambia, School of Veterinary Medicine, parasitology laboratory. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to compare means between categories and correlation coefficient to determine the strength of the relationship. The collected species included 11 Rhipicephalus species, n=6, (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus evertsi, Rhipicephalus microplus, Rhipicephalus decoloratus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rhipicephalus pulcherus, Rhipicephalus zambeziensis); Amblyomma species n=2, (Amblyomma variagatum, Amblyomma poposum), and Hyalomma species n=2 (Hyalomma Rufipes and Hyalomma truncatum). The most common species were R. evertsi (19.4 %), Amblyomma variagatum 14%, Hyalomma truncatum 11%. Significantly higher (p < 0.05) species diversity and burden were observed in the no-burn management system, whilst no significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed between late and early burning systems. These findings have unveiled, for the first time in Zambia, that employing fire as a management tool substantially reduces both tick diversity and burden in enclosed ex-situ conservancy areas. Regular prescribed burning, regardless of the burning regime, was found to remarkably reduce tick populations in game ranches, particularly in the early burning management system. These findings hold promising implications for ecological public health. Considering this, fire as a management tool effectively reduces tick diversity and burden in closed ex-situ conservancy areas. These findings have far-reaching policy implications when it comes to tick control systems that a government may wish to implement.

Conservation Options for Sustainable Management of Wildlife Species in the Three Ecological Zones of Adamawa State, Nigeria

The study evaluated management options for the sustainable conservation of wildlife species and factors that will actualize the Successful Implementation of the Options in the three ecological zones in Adamawa state. The study tool consists of a structured questionnaire, multi-stage and simple random sampling techniques employed for data collection. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regressions were used for data analysis. Results indicated that management options identified included captive breeding and domestication, safari and zoo, community forestry, hunting reserve, game reserve, game ranching and National park. Regression analysis between management options and factors that will ensure their success in the ecological zones (land availability, government policies and legislation, awareness of values of wildlife conservation, willingness to support wildlife conservation/attitude and willingness to contribute financially to wildlife conservation) revealed that land availability (p<0.01), willingness to contribute financially to wildlife conservation (p<0.01) and willingness to support wildlife conservation/attitude (p<0.04) were the critical factors among others required to actualize the management options in the study area. The study recommended that government should encourage integrated efforts among local governments, non-governmental organizations and local communities to ensure the implementation and success of the management options. The government and private organizations should provide loans to enable farmers to practice wildlife domestication. Local institutions (Village heads and councils) should be empowered to enforce customary laws that are targeted towards protection, conservation and the practice of wildlife domestication. Government should establish training centers for wildlife domestication. Finally, the government should enact laws that will encourage the conservation and domestication of wildlife species.

Drought release and post-drought changes in herbaceous composition and diversity in two land uses subjected to selective bush control in a semi-arid Kalahari savanna

Land degradation due to bush encroachment and drought threatens the well-being of land users and forage production in the semi-arid savannas of southern Africa. This study aimed to analyse how herbaceous vegetation in the Kalahari savanna can recover from drought, and how this is affected by previously implemented bush control measures. We compared plant species composition and diversity of the herbaceous layer across a drought-release (2021) and post-drought (2022) year within two land use types (game and livestock) in bush-encroached and controlled areas, respectively. Diversity decreased significantly during the post-drought year. Annual species dominated in the drought-release year, which were replaced by perennial forbs and dwarf shrubs in the post-drought year. Selective bush control enhanced herbaceous species abundance and richness due to decreased competition. The species richness was higher in the game ranch compared to the cattle farm during the drought-release year. Herbaceous abundance, however, increased on the cattle farm. The management strategies, feeding behaviour and animal movement may have contributed to these differences in these two contrasting land use types. This study showed that herbaceous plant communities can recover rapidly after a drought period and in areas where bush control was applied.

Contribution of Private Game Ranching and Captive Bred Operations in South Africa to White Rhino Ceratotherium simum Species Survival Conservation

The southern white rhinoceros (SWR) (Ceratotherium simum simum) is under global threat of extinction, due to poaching in protected areas and state-owned parks. The Kruger National Park (KNP), the stronghold for SWR, has suffered a population decline of over 75.0% since 2011, and an average annual decline of -10.2% from 2008 to 2020, a remaining population estimated at 2,607 animals by the end of 2020, and 2,458 animals left by the end of June 2022. On the contrary, SWR under private custodianship on rewilded agro-sustainable game ranches in South Africa [estimated at >8,000 animals, some of which are registered Captive Breeding Operations (CBO); assessed CBOs contained 2,882 rhinos with this study (Sep 2021)], increase with average annual growth performances of 9.0%. This increase has been attributed to effective security, provision of additional habitat, dispersal, and frequent genetic exchange of rhinos between private breeding subpopulations. World conservation bodies, mostly due to misguided and prejudiced media publicity and the lack of scientific analytical assessment, have largely overlooked the conservation success of the private sector. Private rhino custodians and their bio-conservation breeding practices, with private agro-sustainable biodiversity wildlife management and/ or captive breeding, generally being perceived as either “canned” or equated to “captive zoological-gardens”. Since the commencement of the International Convention on Biodiversity, global controversy exists whereby most of mankind today perceive bio-conservation of a species to be assigned in principle solely to protected areas and state-owned parks. The unique and advantageous roles of rewilded bio-conservation and sustainable-use conservation CBOs, being a key to green-economy and natural capital in a post-Covid-19 struggle, are mostly ignored. This study serves to assess and quantify the impact of private wildlife ranching in South Africa with specific focus on its potential contribution to rhino conservation specifically for that of the SWR C.s. simum.

Context-dependency in carnivore co-occurrence across a multi-use conservation landscape.

Carnivore intraguild dynamics depend on a complex interplay of environmental affinities and interspecific interactions. Context‐dependency is commonly expected with varying suites of interacting species and environmental conditions but seldom empirically described. In South Africa, decentralized approaches to conservation and the resulting multi‐tenure conservation landscapes have markedly altered the environmental stage that shapes the structure of local carnivore assemblages. We explored assemblage‐wide patterns of carnivore spatial (residual occupancy probability) and temporal (diel activity overlap) co‐occurrence across three adjacent wildlife‐oriented management contexts—a provincial protected area, a private ecotourism reserve, and commercial game ranches. We found that carnivores were generally distributed independently across space, but existing spatial dependencies were context‐specific. Spatial overlap was most common in the protected area, where species occur at higher relative abundances, and in game ranches, where predator persecution presumably narrows the scope for spatial asymmetries. In the private reserve, spatial co‐occurrence patterns were more heterogeneous but did not follow a dominance hierarchy associated with higher apex predator densities. Pair‐specific variability suggests that subordinate carnivores may alternate between pre‐emptive behavioral strategies and fine‐scale co‐occurrence with dominant competitors. Consistency in species‐pairs diel activity asynchrony suggested that temporal overlap patterns in our study areas mostly depend on species' endogenous clock rather than the local context. Collectively, our research highlights the complexity and context‐dependency of guild‐level implications of current management and conservation paradigms; specifically, the unheeded potential for interventions to influence the local network of carnivore interactions with unknown population‐level and cascading effects.

Local perception of ecosystem services and their conservation in Sudanian savannas of Burkina Faso (West Africa)

ContextIn Burkina Faso, Sudanian savannas are important ecosystems for conservation of plant diversity. Due to desertification and insecurity, population migration from the North has increased human density and anthropogenic pressure on southern savannas. This study aims to investigate knowledge of local populations on ecosystem services (ES) and perception of their conservation.MethodIndividual semi-structured interviews about knowledge on ES and ecosystem conservation issues were conducted. Informants were selected according to sociocultural groups and sex in three areas of different land use intensity: the communal area of Dano (CAD), the Total Wildlife Reserve of Bontioli (TWRB) and the Game Ranch of Nazinga (GRN). The use value and vulnerability index of each plant species were determined. A cluster analysis and a principal component analysis were carried out to identify the particular knowledge of different ethnic groups.ResultsOverall, 163 plant species were cited for fifteen ES. Provisioning services were most frequently cited (100%), regulating services second most frequently (92.47%). Entire plants were exclusively used for ES with non-material benefits (protection against wind, for shading, soil fertility, erosion prevention, tourism and religion). The ten species contributing most to ES provision were Vitellaria paradoxa, Parkia biglobosa, Diospyros mespiliformis, Adansonia digitata, Lannea microcarpa, Faidherbia albida, Khaya senegalensis, Afzelia africana, Ficus sycomorus, Pterocarpus erinaceus. Seven of them were identified as highly vulnerable. Around GRN, migrants and natives shared the same knowledge, while migrants in TWRB used the ES only to a small extent due to restricted contact with the native population. Migrants and natives of GRN had more knowledge on tourism and crafts services while the natives of CAD and TWRB made use of the services that sustain the quality of the agricultural land and meet their primary needs. To reduce further degradation, different communities suggested unanimously raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. The most quoted motivations to preserve ecosystems were vegetation sustainability and village development.ConclusionThis study documented important local knowledge-based information to guide cultivation of local multipurpose species and initiation of communities to practice best management strategies for sustainable conservation of biodiversity.

Impact of Anthropogenic Activities on the Abundance of <i>Crocodylus suchus</i> (Saint-Hilaire 1807) within the Nazinga Game Ranch, Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, human activities are practiced in Nazinga Game Ranch (NGR) which is colonized by West African crocodiles Crocodylus suchus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1807) decades ago. This study which aims to estimate impact of anthropogenic activities on abundance of C. suchus has been conducted in NGR reservoirs. For data collection, C. suchus populations were counted morning, afternoon and night from October 2015 to May 2017 in 11 reservoirs. Binoculars were used for remote observations and spotlight was used by night. According to the size of the sites and its accessibility, direct observations were carried out on foot or by canoe. Every time we observed crocodiles, they were numbered and added information such as their size, their behavior, geographical coordinates and the type of habitat were collected. Human activities were noted after direct observations. The R software version 3.5.3 was used for data analysis. A total of 1849 crocodiles including hatchlings, juveniles, subadults and adults were counted in these 11 reservoirs of the NGR. They were more abundant in reservoirs than rivers with highest abundances in Akalon, Akwazena, Kalieboulou and Barka. Crocodile showed very high visibility at night their abundances showed important correlation with human activities and environmental factors such as roads, fishing, tourism, moon phases and “died crocodiles” and in NGR.

Identification of Escherichia coli and Related Enterobacteriaceae and Examination of Their Phenotypic Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns: A Pilot Study at A Wildlife-Livestock Interface in Lusaka, Zambia.

A cross-sectional study was used to identify and assess prevalence and phenotypic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of Escherichia coli and other enterobacteria isolated from healthy wildlife and livestock cohabiting at a 10,000 acres game ranch near Lusaka, Zambia. Purposive sampling was used to select wildlife and livestock based on similarities in behavior, grazing habits and close interactions with humans. Isolates (n = 66) from fecal samples collected between April and August 2018 (n = 84) were examined following modified protocols for bacteria isolation, biochemical identification, molecular detection, phylogenetic analysis, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disc diffusion method. Data were analyzed using R software, Genetyx ver.12 and Mega 6. Using Applied Profile Index 20E kit for biochemical identification, polymerase chain reaction assay and sequencing, sixty-six isolates were identified to species level, of which Escherichia coli (72.7%, 48/66), E. fergusonii (1.5%, 1/66), Shigella sonnei (22.7%, 14/66), Sh. flexinerri (1.5%, 1/66) and Enterobacteriaceae bacterium (1.5%, 1/66), and their relationships were illustrated in a phylogenetic tree. Phenotypic antimicrobial resistance or intermediate sensitivity expression to at least one antimicrobial agent was detected in 89.6% of the E. coli, and 73.3% of the Shigella isolates. The E. coli isolates exhibited the highest resistance rates to ampicillin (27%), ceftazidime (14.3%), cefotaxime (9.5%), and kanamycin (9.5%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was detected in 18.8% of E. coli isolates while only 13.3% Shigella isolates showed MDR. The MDR was detected among isolates from impala and ostrich (wild animals in which no antimicrobial treatment was used), and in isolates from cattle, pigs, and goats (domesticated animals). This study indicates the possible transmission of drug-resistant microorganisms between animals cohabiting at the wildlife–livestock interface. It emphasizes the need for further investigation of the role of wildlife in the development and transmission of AMR, which is an issue of global concern.

Tortoise mortality along fence lines in the Karoo region of South Africa

Fencing, including electric fencing, is widely used across South Africa for livestock and game ranching practices. Leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) are particularly prone to being killed by electric fences, but no published studies have assessed the impact of fence structure or quantified tortoise mortality along non-electric fences. This is a conservation concern, especially because South Africa is home to more tortoise species than any other country. This study relates tortoise mortality associated with electrified and non-electrified fences to fence structure, and uses transects away from fences as a comparison to estimate the impact of fences on mortality. All fence types had significantly higher tortoise mortality than open veld transects. Leopard tortoise mortalities were greatest along electric fences (56 % of mortalities), even though these comprised only 4% of fences in the study. By comparison, most angulate tortoises (Chersina angulata) died after becoming wedged in mesh fences. The distribution and abundance of fence types along 2200 km of roads was used to extrapolate the impacts of different fence types on tortoises in the southeastern Karoo, South Africa. A survey of land-use types indicated that game farms were more likely to be associated with the presence of electric fences. Regulations are needed to limit mortality of vulnerable species (tortoises, pangolins) on electric fences by setting a minimum strand height and ‘escape’ periods implemented through randomized off times or thermostatic switches.

Intermediate disturbance promotes diversity and the conservation of dung beetles (Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae and Aphodiidae) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Environmental fluctuations, such as changes in climate, agricultural management and anthropogenic land-use patterns can affect the diversity of organisms inhabiting an area. Losses of biodiversity alter ecosystems processes, eroding their capacity to deliver ecosystem services. Dung beetles are critical ecosystem service providers, making them an ideal ecological indicator to explore the effects of land-use change on biodiversity. Dung beetles were sampled across three land-use types, in the summers of 2015 and 2016 in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. Game ranching is regarded as a relatively low-intensity land use type. It was compared with cattle ranching (medium intensity) and dairy farming (high intensity) to examine their effect on dung beetle assemblage metrics (abundance, species richness and true Shannon diversity index), guild diversity (as nesting guilds) and spatial turnover. The intermediate grazing intensity of cattle ranching supported a higher abundance and diversity of both whole dung beetle assemblage and the nesting guilds, followed by the game ranches and then dairy farms. Differences between the sampling years were dependent on the beetle nesting guild, and largely correlated with rainfall and temperature. Cattle and game ranches shared a higher number of species than either shared with dairy farms. Whittaker's Beta-diversity index showed the highest species turnover between game ranches and dairy farms. A mix of game and cattle ranching, minimising dairy farming or restricting it to already ecological degraded sites, appears the best alternative for maintenance of dung beetle diversity and their ecosystem services. The year-to-year trends of the data were in general consistent, confirming that dung beetles are reliable ecological indicators; but also suggest that climate change that affects rainfall will result in the reduction of the abundance and diversity of this key ecological group.

Responses of carnivore assemblages to decentralized conservation approaches in a South African landscape

Abstract Conservation efforts in South Africa play out across multi‐use landscapes where formal protected areas coexist with private wildlife business (ecotourism and/or hunting) in a human‐dominated matrix. Despite the persistence of highly diverse carnivore guilds, management idiosyncrasies are often orientated towards charismatic large predators and assemblage‐level patterns remain largely unexplored. We conducted an extensive camera‐trap survey in a natural quasi‐experimental setting in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa. We sampled across a protection gradient characterized by a provincial protected area (highest and formal protection status), a private ecotourism reserve, game ranches and traditional communal areas (lowest protected status). We evaluated assemblage‐level and species‐specific responses of free‐ranging carnivores to the varying management contexts and associated environmental gradients. Despite similar assemblage composition between management contexts, site‐scale carnivore richness and occupancy rates were greater in the formal protected area than adjacent private reserve and game ranches. Carnivore occupancy was more similar between these private wildlife areas, although putative problem species were more common in the private reserve, and contrasted with depauperate assemblages in least protected communal lands. Variation in carnivore occupancy probabilities was largely driven by land use contexts, that is, the level and nature of protection, relative to underlying fine‐scale landscape attributes (e.g. distance to conservation fences) or apex predator populations. Synthesis and applications. Our findings provide convincing empirical support for the added value of multi‐tenure conservation estates augmenting and connecting South Africa's protected areas. However, our emphasis on free‐ranging carnivores exemplifies the importance of maintaining areas under long‐term formal protection and the risks with viewing lucrative wildlife business as a conservation panacea. We suggest that unmanaged carnivore species be the formal components of carnivore reintroduction and recovery programmes to better gauge the complementary conservation role of South Africa's private land.

Incorporating social-ecological complexities into conservation policy

In the process of developing new conservation policies, policymakers must have access to information which will inform their decisions. Evidence rarely considers the complexities of social-ecological systems. The Social-Ecological Systems Framework (SESF) is an adaptable yet structured approach for understanding the processes that lead to changes in natural resources, using a systems-based approach that aims to treat ecological and social components equally. Few conservation planning and policy initiatives have implemented the SESF to assess the interlinked social and ecological consequences of conservation policies. We apply the SESF to explore the barriers to the potential implementation of a policy of consumptive utilisation of wildlife in Kenya, a policy regarded as successful in several southern African countries. Using secondary data and expert review we developed a conceptual model of the social-ecological system associated with consumptive utilisation of wildlife in Kenya. We then analysed how different combinations of first and second-tier variables interacted to create focal action situations, and subsequently identified seven barriers to this policy. Our analysis revealed that game ranching would require large-scale investment in effective monitoring systems, new regulations, training, market development and research, considerations about equity, and devolved ownership of wildlife. The least barriers existed for game farming. The SESF appears to be a useful framework for this purpose. In particular, it can help to reveal potential social and ecological barriers which conservation policies might face in attempting to meet intended goals. The information required to implement the SESF are necessarily cross-disciplinary, which can make it challenging to synthesise.

The seasonal distribution of savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana africana) in Nazinga Game Ranch, southern Burkina Faso

Elephant wet and dry season distributions were compared at Nazinga Game Ranch in southern Burkina Faso. Dropping counts along line transects provided an index of occupancy at the end of each season: wet 2006, dry 2007 and dry 2008. We expected that the distribution of elephants would differ between the dry and the wet seasons, with elephants concentrating around water sources in the dry season and spreading out across the landscape during the wet season. Elephants were found to be clumped in both wet and dry seasons, although the degree of aggregation was much greater in the dry seasons, especially in the drier year of 2008. Human populations have increased dramatically around Nazinga in the last 15 years, and we speculate that the increasing abundance of crops outside in the wet season may influence the distribution of elephants inside the ranch area. Key words: Nazinga, Burkina Faso, elephants, distribution, wet season, dry season Les distributions d’éléphants des saisons pluvieuse et sèche, ont été comparées au Ranch de Gibier de Nazinga. L’indice d’occupation des éléphants dans le ranch à été estimé au moyen des mesures de déjections le long des transects, en fin de saison pluvieuse 2006 et en fin de saisons sèches 2007 et 2008. Les attentes étaient que la distribution des éléphants en saison sèche soit différente de celle de la saison pluvieuse; avec un regroupement des éléphants autour des points d’eau en saison sèche, puis leur dispersion dans les paysages de toute l’aire du ranch pendant la saison pluvieuse. Il a été observé que les éléphants étaient regroupés aussi bien en saison sèche qu’en saison pluvieuse; même si le degré d’agrégation était plus important en saison sèche particulièrement en 2008 qui était l’année la plus sèche. La densité des populations humaines a augmentée considérablement autour de Nazinga, pendant les 15 dernières années; nous soupçonnons que la disponibilité des cultures hors du ranch pendant la saison pluvieuse, pourrait influencer la distribution des éléphants à l’intérieur du ranch.

Anthropogenic movement results in hybridisation in impala in southern Africa

Hybridisation caused by anthropogenic movements of animals is a conservation concern. Black-faced impala (Aepyceros melampus petersi) are endemic to north-western Namibia and south-western Angola and are geographically isolated from common impala (A. m. melampus). Common impala have been translocated into the black-faced impala range creating a hybridisation risk. We validated 13 microsatellite markers for the detection of recent hybridisation events. We used these markers to assess the genetic variation and differentiation among impala within Etosha National Park (NP), Southern Cross Private Game Reserve (SCPGR), Namibia, and private game ranches across South Africa. We confirmed that “black-nosed” impala in South Africa were A. m. melampus, thus providing more evidence that the black blaze on the face cannot be used to distinguish between the two subspecies. We detected four hybrids and one common impala on SCPGR. These five individuals were removed from SCPGR at time of sampling. We found two potential hybrids in southern Etosha NP. Further sampling of animals within Etosha NP is recommended to determine the extent of hybridisation within the park. The Namibian Ministry of the Environment & Tourism is developing a management plan for black-faced impala across Namibia that includes genetic testing for hybrids.

Vegetation dynamics in the face of a major land-use change: a 30-year case study from semi-arid South Africa

Although wildlife production is widely considered beneficial for semi-arid environments, few studies have reported on the long-term environmental effects of converting from livestock production to game ranching. Asante Sana Game Reserve in South Africa was stocked with domestic livestock for centuries. However, after 1996 game ranching was adopted in the reserve. We investigated the long-term (1987–2017) spatial and temporal change in vegetation productivity and type on the reserve using Landsat multispectral data and soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), and explored the relationship between changes in vegetation productivity and the potential drivers. The results show that while Thicket has decreased overall, it has expanded into parts of Grassland and Shrubland, and Bare-ground has expanded into parts of Shrubland and Thicket. Overall vegetation productivity increased over time, with the greatest increases in Thicket and Grazing lawn and the lowest in Shrubland and Bare-ground. Changes in rainfall, fire and stocking rates were all significant predictors of the observed changes in vegetation productivity, but rainfall had the strongest effect. This research highlights some of the complex responses that arise in semi-arid vegetation when domestic livestock production is replaced by game ranching, and points towards key issues that can be addressed by management.

Corridor disease (buffalo-associated Theileria parva) outbreak in cattle introduced onto a game ranch and investigations into their carrier-state.

East Coast fever (Theileria parva infection in cattle) was eradicated from South Africa in the mid-1900. However, another form named Corridor disease (CD), associated with T. parva carrier buffaloes exists and outbreaks have increased in endemic areas. The occurrence of a CD carrier state in cattle under field situations has not been demonstrated but remains a subject of controversy. The current study investigated the T. parva carrier state following a severe outbreak in cattle introduced onto a game ranch. Monitoring of the outbreak included clinical signs, mortality, microscopy, serology, real-time PCR and xenodiagnoses. The herd of cattle received block treatment using oxytetracyclines (OTC) by the farmer during the outbreak. Cattle were sampled early during the outbreak and twice within the following 75 days. All buffaloes were tested for a T. parva carrier state. Two batches of questing adult R. appendiculatus were collected at the time of disease occurrence and a year later. These ticks were fed on susceptible cattle under controlled conditions and monitored for disease transmission. Ticks infected with a buffalo-derived stock of T. parva were fed on one bovine under controlled conditions and simultaneously injected with OTC, simulating the infection and treatment method of vaccination and was used as a positive control. Clean R. appendiculatus nymphs were fed on four recovered PCR positive cattle from the outbreak and on the positive control animal. The adult ticks were tested for infectivity by xenodiagnoses on susceptible bovines. For the initial outbreak the CD prevalence was 62.3% with a mortality rate of 29.5%. However, the outbreak was contained by block OTC treatment of the herd since only 3.4% cattle subsequently died until the end of the investigations. Adult ticks fed on one field bovine and the laboratory established T. parva carrier both transmitted fatal infections to susceptible cattle. Ticks fed on two field cattle transmitted T. taurotragi and one failed to transmit any infection. Questing adult R. appendiculatus collected during the outbreak transmitted fatal CD to two bovines while ticks collected a year later transmitted T. taurotragi. These findings demonstrated the effectiveness of disease control either by cattle treatment using OTC simulating the ITM or by intensive cattle dipping following the outbreak or by both interventions. The potential risk of creating carrier cattle by OTC treatment during CD outbreaks should be considered, supporting the continued control measures of segregation of cattle and buffalo herds.

The South African giraffeGiraffa camelopardalis giraffa: a conservation success story

AbstractAcross Africa the majority of giraffe species and subspecies are in decline, whereas the South African giraffeGiraffa camelopardalis giraffaremains numerous and widespread throughout southern Africa. By 2013 the number of giraffes in South Africa's Kruger National Park had increased by c. 150% compared to 1979 estimates. An even greater increase occurred on many of the estimated 12,000 privately owned game ranches, indicating that private ownership can help to conserve this subspecies. The estimated total population size in South Africa is 21,053–26,919. The challenge now is to implement monitoring and surveillance ofG. camelopardalis giraffaas a conservation priority and to introduce sustainable practices among private owners to increase numbers and genetic variation within in-country subspecies.

Moving Targets: The ‘Canned’ Hunting of Captive-Bred Lions in South Africa

Abstract:So-called canned hunts take place within fenced private game ranches and typically target animals bred in captivity solely for that purpose. Thousands of semidomesticated lions form the focal point of South Africa’s canned-hunting industry. Notions of animal welfare, “fair chase,” and conservation have been deployed to varying degrees to sway public opinion surrounding canned hunts in South Africa and abroad. While state regulatory efforts have largely failed to date, the Campaign Against Canned Hunting (CACH) has successfully promoted stricter controls on the importation of lion trophies in Australia, Europe, and the United States, in part by highlighting the recent death of Cecil, a charismatic lion shot by an American bowhunter in Zimbabwe.

Raiding or not raiding ? A study of the ecological correlates of human-elephant conflict at Nazinga Game Ranch (Burkina Faso)

Incursion ou non ? Étude des corrélations écologiques du conflit Homme-Éléphant dans le Ranch de Gibier de Nazinga (Burkina Faso) Le phénomène de conflit Homme-Éléphant constitue une préoccupation majeure dans de nombreux pays en voie de développement. Cependant, on ne dispose que de peu d’informations sur sa dynamique dans les pays de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Dans cet article, nous analysons les corrélations écologiques de la conservation de l’Éléphant (Loxodonta africana) dans dix villages riverains du Ranch de Gibier de Nazinga, au sud du Burkina Faso, au cours des années 2002 et 2006. Pour chacune des deux années, les corrélats de dégât d’éléphants étaient consistants : les éléphants ont attaqué préférentiellement trois villages du sud, tandis que sept villages du nord ont été pratiquement ignorés bien qu’aucune différence significative n’existait entre les distances de ces groupes de villages par rapport au Ranch. De plus, les éléphants ont surtout ciblé les plantations d’igname ou les plantations mixtes d’igname et de manioc; et pendant au moins un an, ils ont activement évité d’autres cultures (sorgho, maïs, mil et coton). Ils ont également ciblé les petites plantations. La taille de la population humaine dans chaque village n’a pas influencé la probabilité des dégâts (les trois villages-cibles du sud n’étaient pas plus petits en termes de taille de la population que les villages qui n’ont pas ou rarement été ciblés). La taille des groupes d’éléphants qui causaient les dégâts a été plus importante en 2006 qu’en 2002 . Les implications écologiques et en matière de conservation de ces patterns sont discutées dans cet article.